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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax? Writing is relaxing to me. If I don’t write every day, I get tense and irritable. But I guess, when I take a break from the keyboard for a few minutes, the other thing I like to do to relax is to cuddle a guinea pig. (And no, that’s not a euphemism!).

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax? Get a couple of guinea pigs.

What contributes to making a writer successful? Tenacity.

How often do you write? And when do you write? I write every day, from 3pm to about 5am most days. Sometimes I lose track of time, and don’t stop writing until I see the sun come up. Those are the best days.

Do you have an organized process or tips for writing well? Do you have a writing schedule? I don’t have much of a schedule, except that I like to crank out about 10,000 words a week. As long as I keep doing that, I stay in a rhythm and can turn out a first draft in about two-and-a-half months. Unless migraines and insomnia get in the way

Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it – What keeps you going? My love for the people in my head. As long as I keep writing about them, they live on. I get to flirt with them, fall in love with them, and protect them, over and over and over again.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel? If I’ve provoked any feelings at all – whether I’ve repulsed you or aroused you – then I’ve done my job.

What color represents your personality the most? Purple, I think. Although I’m not exactly sure why.

THE PRISONWORLD TRILOGY — VOLUME ONE

Poverty is rife in twenty-fourth century London, England. Crime rates are at an all-time high, and living conditions for many are bleak. Capital punishment and public hangings have been reinstated, and Magistrates, in their new role, are tasked with patrolling the streets to enforce arrest warrants and ‘terminate’ any civilians who attempt to evade justice — which isn’t always a noble pursuit.

The laws are strict, illiberal, and unsympathetic. If you can’t afford to feed and clothe yourself, you’ll be sent to the workhouse. If you fall behind on your rent, you’ll be sent to debtors’ prison. If you’re gay, you’ll be hanged.

For Carmen Wild, the latter becomes a potentially deadly problem when the discovery of a murdered prostitute brings her back into the life of her first love — the Madam of an East End cathouse — and the illicit passions between them are swiftly reignited.

The Magistrate is a lesbian romance, set against the backdrop of dystopian, neo-Victorian London.